Power driven posthole boring machine



June 16, 1942. s oup' 2,286,583

POWER, DRIVEN POST-HOLE BORING MACHINE Filed July 8, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet1 Iii INVENTOR.

Laura E. 632001 ATTORNEY.

June 16, 1942. sl-[QUP J 2,286,583

POWER DRIVEN POST-HOLE BORING MACHINE Filed July 8, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet2 4 a iwuwm w A fi m V m m 2 1 m 1 a. I F M I INVENTOR. LLoyo B. SHoz/PBY ATTORNEY.

Patented June 16, 1942 i H OFFICE POWER DRIVEN P MACHIN STHOLE BORINGLloyd R. Shoup, Udall, Kans.

Application July 8, 1940, Serial No. 344,402 2 Claims. o1. 255-19) Myinvention relates to a power driven posthole boring machine, and has forits principal object a boring mechanism adjustably carried and operatedby a motor driven vehicle, preferably of the tractor type.

A further object of my invention is to provide a casing for the auger ofthe machine, said casing insertible in the ground with the auger as thepost-hole is bored, the casing as a container for the dirt and removingmeans therefor.

A still further object of my invention is to Fig. 2 is an enlarged planview of the post-hole boring machine, parts removed for convenience ofillustration.

Fig. 2B is a reduced fragmentary plan view of the carrying bar adjacentthe socket.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the socket clamp, the bars in cross section.

Fig. 3A is a plan view of the auger blades, taken on line 3A3A in Fig.1.

Fig. 4. is a plan view of the machine taken on line 4-4 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the casing.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the casing taken on line 6-'-B in Fig. 1,the flange partly removed.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the auger casing c01- lapsed.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 88 in Fig. 4.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 99 in Fig. 4, illustrating thesleeve structure.

My invention consists of a pair of cutting blades I, each beingsemicircular in form, and having an appropriate twist to cut and raisethe dirt, and being secured oppositely to a hub 2 that is axially boredand threaded to engage on the threaded end of a vertically disposedshaft 3, said shaft engaging through the axis of a bevel gear 4, adaptedto slide therein longitudinally of the shaft and secured to rotate withthe gear by a key 5 integral with the gear that engages in a groove 6that extends longitudinally of the shaft,

whereby said shaft may be moved longitudinally through the gear duringrotation thereof or during periods of idleness. The said gear istrunnioned on a bearing I, said bearing having a right angled upwardextension in which is trunnioned a beveled pinion 4' to mesh with theteeth of the first said gear as turning means therefor, the pinionhaving a sleeve 8 axially extending therefrom, the outer end of which issecured to a disc 9 as one side of a friction clutch, while the otherside consists of a circular disc II] that is secured to its respectivesleeve II that slideably engages on a shaft l2, and being securedagainst rotation by a pin [3 secured to said shaft and adapted to engagein an elongated slot 14 through a side of the said sleeve, whereby lastsaid disc is free to move to and from engagement with the first saiddisc, whereby a friction clutch is formed to drive the pinion when theclutch is engaged.

At the outer end of the last named sleeve is a coil spring I6 woundabout the shaft, the end of said spring to abut with the end of thesleeve and a collar I'l secured to the shaft, whereby the last nameddisc is tensioned to engagement with the first said disc. To disengagethe clutch, there is provided an L-shaped lever l8, one portion ofwhich, from its angle, functions as a handle to rock the lever on itspivot point as at A, the other portion of said lever being bifurcated asat B, and having a roller l9 trunn-ioned between the legs thereof, saidroller to engag on the marginal outer edge portion of the last nameddisc as said disc is greater in diameter than the first named disc toforce the disc toward the spring for disengagement of said discs, and byrocking movement of the lever in the opposite direction will permitclosing of the clutch to drive the auger.

In Fig. 1 is illustrated th rear portion of a conventional type oftractor having a power take-off shaft 20, in which is provided auniversal joint 2| to accommodate for a rocking movement of thepost-hole boring machine later described. The said shaft 20 is hollow tofunction as a sleeve in which shaft [2 will slideably engagelongitudinally, and being turned thereby as said shafts are spleenedtogether. ,The sliding movement is also to accommodate for the rockingmovement above referred to, and in said shaft I2 is provided a universaljoint 22 as a further accommodation for the said rocking movement.

As a means to carry the said boring machine, I have arranged abifurcated carrying bar 23 comprised of two members, each functioning asa leg and adapted to straddle the gear housing C of the tractor, andbeing secured by bolts 24, the rearward convergent portions of said barmembers where they meet being secured together by a bolt 25, and eachhave a socket 26 confronting each other and adapted to flex toward andfrom each other as tensioned together by a bolt 21, having a cam lever28 on one end thereof, rockably arranged to move the jaws toward eachother to clamp the same to a ball 29, having a neck D and means tosecure the same to a vertically disposed standard 30, the lower end ofwhich is integrally joined to said pinion bearing a a rigid supportingmeans therefor, to which at its upper extremity is pivotally connectedone end of a rockable link 3|, the other end of said link beingpivotally connected to a lever 32 as raising and lowering means for thesaid auger shaft. The lever, intermediate of its ends, has a circularportion E in which is rockably mounted arcuate members 33 through themedium of their respective pivot lugs 34, the outer ends of which arecarried by the said circular portion, and the said arcuate members eachhaving a groove in the concave sides thereof, extending therealong,whereby a circular frame is formed by abutting the terminal ends of thesegments, and in which is positioned a disc 35 having an annular tongue36 to-engage in the grooved segment above described. The said disc isbored axially to slideably engage on said auger shaft and turnedtherewith through the medium of a key 31 secured to the disc, andslideable in the groove of the shaft.

Secured to the upper and lower sides of said disc 35 are springtensioned pawls 38 adapted to engage in notches 39 spaced along the saidauger shaft, the arrangement of which is to raise and lower the auger.To raise the shaft, the lower pawl is disengaged by pressing its leverinward while the upper pawl frictionally engages in its respectivenotches, and Vice versa, for the pawl for a downward tension of theauger.

As a means to secure the auger in an elevated position fortransportation, there is placed asimilar pawl on the upper side of gear4 as carrying means for the lower extremity of the auger from theground.

Carried by the shaft and in working relation to the auger is acylindrical casing comprised of two parts 40, diametrically divided itsentire length, each half of said casing having a flange 4|, outwardlyextending at right angle, to function as a gauge for the depth of thehole and as a guard should the dirt overflow the casing while boring thehole, and furthermore, to space the dirt from the hole at the time ofraising the auger and casing on completion of the hole.

The said casing, being divided on its diametrical axis, is means forcollapsation to discharge the dirt contained therein when rocked fromalignment with the post hole, said casing halves being hingedlyconnected by pins 42 diametrically positioned at its upper extremity,the pins functioning as hinge bolts, each of sufficient length to extendinward and secured to a collar 43, through which the shaft extends, saidcollar adapted to slide downward on the shaft at the time of collapsingthe casing, which is accomplished by a toggle arm 44 for each halfposiand outward, as shown in Fig. l, is means, when the casing isdropped independent of the shaft, whereby said arms will rock theirrespective halves outward, as shown in Fig. 7, to unload its contents,and when raised, the arms will rock the halves to a closed position, asshown in Fig. 1. To restrict the downward movement of the casing thereis secured to the shaft a stop collar 46 and an idle collar 41 securedthereon, and on which collar 43 will seat as the casing openings, theidle collar being spleened to the shaft by a tongue 48 secured to thecollar, while its inner end engages in the groove; being so anchored ismeans for the engagement of a pawl 49 in an aperture 50 positioned inthe shaft between the stop collar and carrying collar for the casingwhen the latter is moved to its upper extremity. The said collar 41 andits pawl rotates with the shaft while serving as a lock for the closedposition of the casing during the time of boring or transportation, andto rock the casing to its open position,,the said pawl is released fromthe shaft, at which instant it is free to. move downward, seating on thestop collar.

During transportation of the vehicle to and from a point of service ofthe boring machine, the said machine may be rocked in a variety ofdirections, selectively, to clear the lower extremity of the casing fromthe roadway, and locked in such position by the cam lever adjacent theball and socket, on which the boring machine will rock.

Such modifications may be made as lie within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a power driven post-hole boring machine of the class describedcomprising a shaft vertically disposed operatively, and having an augersecured on the lower end thereof, and power means to turn the shaft, apair of semi-circular flanged casings, the flanges being at the upperends of their respective halves of the casing and outwardly extendingtherefrom, said flanges being hingedly connected to each other and to acollar to permit rocking movement of the lower ends of the casing halvesoutward from each other a restricted distance, the collar being slidablymounted on the shaft and in which, said shaft will turn, another collarpositioned on the shaft adjacent the auger, a pair of toggle jointacting arms oppositely disposed with respect to the shaft and rockablycarried bythe said collar, the other ends of said arms being rockablyconnected to their respective'halves of the casing a spaced distancefrom the lower ends thereof to open and close the casing as the same ismoved reciprocatingly, longitudinal of the shaft, and

means to lock the casing when rocked to its closedposition.

of the class described comprising a shaft having a post-hole augeraxially secured to one end of the shaft and power means to turn theshaft, a cylindrical casing having an annular flange secured to one endof the casing and extending outward at right angle from the wall of theeasing, said casing and flange being divided diametrically, the flangeof each half where they meet being hingedly connected for rockingmovement of the other ends of the casing halves toward and from eachother, a. collar to which the flanged end ofthe casingisrockably'connected, the shaft to engagein the collar rotatably and axialtherewith when the casing halves are normally rocked together, a stopcollar secured to the shaft to engage with said collar to position theauger and rockable ends of the easing equal, and the casing being freeto move reciprocatingly along the shaft, an annular collar through whichthe shaft extends rotatably and means to secure the collar adjacent theauger,

LLOYD R. SHOUP.

